Hand-held candy and tablet dispensers constructed from a rigid material such as plastic for storing stacks of regularly shaped tablets to be output from their tops, one at a time, are very popular and widely used. These dispensers generally comprise a housing having a spring and follower that compresses the stack of tablets contained within the housing. A pivoting cap usually covers the open top area of the housing. The opening for dispensing tablets is generally placed on the side of the housing so that tablets must be slid sideways to be removed. When the cap is pivoted upwardly, it allows a topmost tablet to be removed. The caps often also include a pusher device that engages an end of a tablet to simultaneously force it out of the side opening in as the cap is pivoted. Dispensers having decorative or functional pivoting caps with pusher devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,620,061 2,853,206, 3,410,455, 3,942,683, 4,171,753, 4,295,579, and 4,311,251.
These dispensers allow for effective and relatively quick dispensing of tablets. However, their operation may sometimes prove awkward since the user must, while gripping the dispenser like a handle, place a thumb upon an upper surface of the cap and utilize suitable leverage to pivot it open. The user often finds it difficult, however, to maintain a firm grip on the dispenser while pivoting the cap.
Another disadvantage encountered in prior art designs is the unitary structure of the dispenser housing. In the event of a dislocation of the spring follower, or a breakage of tablets causing a jam, the interior of the permanently assembled housing may be difficult to access and repair. If so, the dispenser may be permanently rendered inoperable. Furthermore, the user may load and unload tablets only through the top, one at a time in older designs since the top opening is the only access to the interior of the housing.